Clothesline-supporter



E. .F. MARKHAM. CLOTHESL NE 'SUPPORTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 26. I917- 1,340',070.. Patented M y 11,1920.

rm/aways LNATHAN. MABKK Q13 KENQSHA, ONSIN- CLOTHESLINE-SUIPORTER.

Spe fi ation of Letters Pa nt Patented May 11, 1920.

Application filed July-26, 1917. Serial No. 182,888.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELNATH-AN F. NIAIIK- HAM, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and and useful Improvements in Clothesline-Supporters, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clothes line supporters.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and strong form of clothes line supporter, which is of such construction as to be readil y connectedto-any ordinary form of clothes line post, or to a building, or other structure, where it is not convenient to locate a post, and which also is of such construction that the clothes line may be most readily brought into engagement therewith and releasably held against disengagement, but capable of being easily disengaged when necessary, and which furthermore is of such construction as to permit the line to be drawn taut at any time.

With the above primary, and other incidental objects in View, the invention con sists of the devices and parts, or the equiva lent thereof, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an illustration of a square or rectangular clothes line post with my improved holder connected thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view showing the improved holder connected to a clothes line post of circular contour.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 4: in Figs. 1 and 2 indicates a clothes line post of square or rectangular form. To this post is connected the clothes line holder. The lower portion of this holder is in the form of a fiat, or approximately flat, plate 5. This fiat plate portion is connected to the post by any desirable means, such as screws 66. The upper free extremity of the holder is flared outwardly, as indicated by the numeral 7, in order to form a wide mouth for the free entrance of the clothes line.

At a medial point of the free upper porto form a recessed seat 8 for the line. This recessed seat portion is preferably of an approximately V-shape form, in order to more securely hold the line from slippage through the recessed seat, the sharp angle of the V serving to better hold the line against the post. p

The upper tree portion of the holder is also preferably formed with another outwardly extending approximately V-shaped extension 9, the upper member of said extension being preferably longer than the lower member thereof. If the holder were continued in a straight line downwardly from the recessed seat 8, the holder would be much more likely to break at or about the point of connection with the post. The presence of this additional V-shaped extension, however, obviates this liability, and the free flat end of the holder can be forced outwardly to permit of the insertion of the line, without danger of breakage of the holder, as the long memher or side of the portion 9 is more resilient than is the short member owing to its greater length and consequently when the free end of the holder is forced outwardly, 1

the holder will bend at the junction of the short and long members, the said junction being located a considerable distance from the vertical support and thereby providing a wide bending range for the holder.

The clothes line is indicated by the numeral 10 in the several figures of the drawing.

Fig. 3 of the drawing shows the application of the holder to a round or circular form of post. It will be seen from this figure that the holder can be connected to a circular form of post as readily and conveniently as to a square or rectangular form t of post. The post in this Fig. 3 form is indicated by the numeral 4.

It will be understood that the supporter is made of spring material, so that it can be readily sprung outwardly away from the post, when it is desired to insert the clothes line into engagement therewith.

In the adjustment of the clothes line all that is necessary to be done is to insert the clothes line into the mouth formed between the flared upper end of the holder and the face of the post, and by pulling downwardly on the line the free end of the holder is forced outwardly sufiiciently to permit the line to readily engage itself with the recessed seat 8.

In practice a series of the holders are secured to suitable supports and the clothesline is passed from one to the other. In stringing the line, as each holder is approached, the line is thrown carelessly upon the wide flared end and then given a gentle pull to open the spring-loop suificiently to allow the line to slip into the recessed seat. The force of the spring-loop will press the line tightly against the support and retain a it in position against accidental displace 'ment, either upwardly through the open mouth, or downwardly into the spring loop. Thus it will be seen that the line can be properly engaged with the holder without grasping the holder to pull the free end outwardly to allow the entrance of the clothesline. Furthermore it will be observed that the line of inclination of the flared end is more acute to the support, than is the inclined walls of the recessed seat, so that when the line is in the seat, the loads imposed thereon will not slip it down into the spring-loop, but when being inserted in the mouth, owing to the greater inclination of the flared end, it will easily slip into the holding seat.

What I claim as my invention is:

A clothes-line support formed of resilient flat metal shaped to form a flat portion at one end adapted to be secured to a vertical support, an angular portion having two unequal sides formed adjacent to said fiat portion, the shorter one of the sides being intermediate the long side and flat-portion and forming a substantially rigid extension of the flat-portion, and said two sides being connected together by an acute bend which is positioned a considerable distance from the plane of the flat-portion to form a bending point for the support away from the point of connection of the short side and the flat-portion, a second angular portion joined to the first mentioned angular portion to provide a holding recess to receive the clothes-line, and a flared lip projecting from said second angular portion to serve as a guide for the clothes-line to the holding recess.

In testimony whereof I affix my si nature.

ELNATHAN F. MARK AM. 

